Provide for the basic comfort of patients, such as helping them
bathe or dress

Discuss health care with patients and listen to their concerns

Report patients’ status to registered nurses and doctors

Keep records on patients’ health

Duties of LPNs and LVNs vary, depending on their work setting, For
example, they may teach family members how to care for a relative; help to
deliver, care for, and feed infants; collect samples for testing and do
routine laboratory tests; or feed patients who need help eating.

Because medical care is regulated, LPNs and LVNs may be limited to doing
certain tasks, depending on their state. In some states, for example, LPNs
with proper training can give medication or start intravenous (IV) drips,
while in other states they cannot. State regulations govern the extent to
which LPNs and LVNs must be directly supervised; for example, an LPN may
provide certain forms of care only with instructions from a registered
nurse.